Bordered table tops, particularly for camping tables



1955 E. A. i. JoHANss N El AL 297739726 BORDERED TABLE TOPS, PARTICULARLY FOR CAMPING TABLES Filed April 11, 1955 INVENTORS [55f A/Vflffi 0734f! (MAM 5% AND STURE AL MN MA? THASMWMON MWM ATTORNEYS United States. Patent '0- BORDERED TABLE TOPS, PARTICULARLY FOR CAMPING TABLES Ebbe Anders Israel Johansson and Sture Allan Mattias Johansson, Halmstad, Sweden Application April 11, 1955, Serial No. 500,493

Claims priority, application Sweden May 4, 1955 2 Claims. (Cl. 311-107) The present invention relates to tables, and more particularly to rectangular table tops especially intended to be used for camping and like collapsible tables, and of the kind in which there is employed a bordering frame consisting of two rectangularly yoke-shaped members which are channel-shaped in cross-section with a longitudinally extending constricted opening or slot and which are pushed on to the edges of the table top from two opposite ends thereof in such a manner that the arms of the yoke members grip two oppositely situated marginal portions of the table top, the remaining two marginal portions of which table top being gripped by the intervening portions of the yoke members.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a table top of this nature which is extremely simple in manufacture and reliable in use.

For the object stated, the invention is mainly characterized in that secured to the marginal portions gripped by the arms of the yoke members are elements projecting slightly from the upper and/or lower flat surface of the table top, said elements, when the yoke members are in position on the edges of the table top, being embraced by the edges of the longitudinal openings or slots of the arms of the yoke members so as to locate the arms of the yoke members relative to the table top.

In the case where the table top is assembled from two identically contoured panels superimposed co-extensively one upon the other and interconnected by U-shaped staples penetrating the panels adjacent the edges thereof, according to the invention, the intermediate portions and/or the bent-over end portions of the arms of the staples disposed adjacent the marginal portions of the table top gripped by the arms of the yoke members project slightly above and below the upper and lower flat surfaces, respectively, of the table top.

One specific embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a camping table top incorporating the invention, the table top being shown with only one of the two yoke-shaped bordering frame portions in its position after having been pushed on to the edge of the table top;

Figure 2 shows the other. bordering frame portion detached and positioned, relatively to Figure 1, ready to be pushed on to the edge of the table top of Figure 1 from its opposite end, and

Figures 3 and 4, on a larger scale, show fragmentary sections taken along the lines IIIIII and IVIV, respectively, in Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing more specifically, numerals 1 and 2 designate two identical rectangular fibre panels one being superimposed co-extensively on the other, these panels being, in a manner known per se, secured together by means of U-shaped staples indicated at 3 in Figure 1 which have been driven through the panels along two oppositely situated edges of the assembled board which is intended to constitute a table top.

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The exposed intermediate portions 4 of the staples extending in spaced parallel relation to the last-mentioned edges of the table top, as will be seen from Figure 4, project slightly above the exposed flat surface of the panel 1, and in the similar manner the end portions 5 of the staple legs are bent over towards each other and project slightly from the exposed flat surface of the panel 2. For the purpose of the invention the projections may be only on one surface of the table top, e. g. either the parts 4 or the parts 5.

The bordering frame of the table top is composed of two yoke-shaped members 6a and 7a, respectively, of a configuration adapted to the contour of the table top. These yoke members are channel-shaped in cross-section and have a constricted longitudinal opening or slot so that they can be pushed on to the edge of the table top 1, 2 from mutually opposite ends thereof and in such a way as to cause the arms 7 and 8, respectively, of the yoke members to grip the marginal portions of the panels 1, 2 interconnected by the staples 3, the remaining two marginal portions being gripped by the intervening portions 9 of the yoke members, respectively; The arrangement is so devised as to cause the arms 7, 8 of the yoke members, as the latter are pushed on to the edges of the table top, to embrace by the edges 11 of their longitudinal slots the intermediate portions 4 and end portions 5 of the staples (see Figure 3), and since the minimum width of these longitudinal slots is substantially equal to the thickness of the table top 1, 2 the staple portions 4, 5 will prevent the arms of the yoke members from being displaced laterally out of engagement with the table top. The abutting ends of the arms of the yoke members are interconnected by male jointing sleeves 13 of channelsection secured into the ends of the arms of one of the yoke members, 6a, in any suitable manner, the ends of these jointing sleeves projecting from said ends of the yoke arms being adapted, as the yoke members are pushed together about the table top, to enter the ends of the arms of the opposite yoke member 7a Where they are secured in any suitable manner.

It will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the embodiment hereinbefore described and as illus trated in the accompanying drawing since the same is susceptible of various modifications without departing from the invention. Thus the invention can also be applied to single-piece table tops in which case the staples (or other corresponding means) serve the exclusive purpose of locating the legs of the bordering yokes relative to the table top.

What we claim is:

1. A table top with a border frame comprising a rectangular shaped panel, means providing at least two series of projections on said panel with each series extending substantially parallel to, but spaced from one of oppositely situated edges of said panel, a pair of frame members each having a channel-shaped cross-sectional configuration and a constricted longitudinal opening along the length thereof with the marginal portion of said panel slidably extending therethrough, said frame members each having a configuration corresponding to a portion of the perimeter of said panel with said frame members encasing the marginal portions of said panel and said projections for being retained from lateral movement from said panel by said projections.

2. A table top as claimed in claim 1 wherein a pair of sleeves each of a channel-shaped cross-sectional configuration and having a constricted opening along the length thereof have a marginal portion of said panel and its corresponding series of projections encased therein and each of said sleeves extends into the ends of said frame members also encasing the corresponding marginal portion of said panel for joining said frames together.

References Cited in the fileof this patent 4 Lopez Sept. 29, 1931 Lawson et a1. Mar; 22,1938 Webb Aug. 14, 1951 Urbain June 1, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS France Nov. 5, 1953- 

